Remember Me
by GoddessAphrodite
Summary: During the Sengoku Jidai, Miroku comes across an ancient creature who grants him immortality... but at a great price. He has no memory of who he was and now he wanders the earth alone, seemingly uncapable of love. MirSan, InuKag


Disclaimer - I do not own Inuyasha, any of the characters, places or themes created by Rumiko Takahashi. I am making no profit. Financially, anyway...

Remember Me

Prologue - The Sengoku Jidai

The young monk sighed heavily, resting his head against the trunk of a giant tree. He removed the rosary beads from his hand and gazed down at his palm, tracing his fingers lightly over where his cursed wind tunnel had once been. Minutes after the final battle with Naraku it had disappeared as the remains of the dead Hanyou had been sucked inside. He hastily pulled the cloth back over his hand and replaced the beads. Try as he might, he couldn't find it in his heart to take them off, once and for all.

"Miroku?"

He was jerked out of his thoughts as a blur of silver hair fell before him.

"Inuyasha..."

The Hanyou jumped down from the tree and crouched on his haunches in front of the distressed man. "Is it... Sango?" the half-demon asked, almost afraid he'd get smacked by the moody monk even for mentioning her name.

Miroku sighed again before standing up. He winced as a pain shot through him, reminding of the aching joints. "I'm fine, Iunyasha. But thanks you for your concern."

"Feh." Inuyasha muttered, lowering his head so that his bangs kept the monk from seeing his expression. "Who said I was concerned?"

"Hmm..." The houshi turned and began to walk away.

"Wait," He heard the hanyou get up and slowly make his way over. Miroku looked down at the clawed hand on his shoulder. "We're all worried about her. But she lost the most out of all of us. Give her time."

Miroku nodded and pushed back the tears that were threatening to spill from his eyes as the memories of that night came flooding back to him.

_

* * *

_

_The group walked quietly through the forest, each silently contemplating the events that had taken place. Miroku's wind tunnel was gone. Inuyasha had the Shikon no Tama, save a handful of shards. Kagome was free to go back to her own time. And Shippo would have a family again._

_But Sango trailed behind, numb to the world and completely unaware of her surroundings. 'Kohaku...' She began to shake in silent sobs. Her inside were on fire and her heart ached so badly that she was sure it was on the verge of shattering into a million pieces. And everyone was too caught up in their own celebrations to notice. Their friend's heart was breaking, and they were blissfully unaware._

_A sharp intake of breath stopped the procession dead in its tracks. Kagome set Shippo on the forrest floor. "A jewel shard. I sense it!" She took off in the direction, while everyone followed after her._

_Inuyasha sprinted to catch up with her, stopping not even to scoop up the miko and place her on his back. "Where?"_

_Kagome squinted her eyes searching for the pink glow of the Shikon. "There!" She pointed to a clearing on the other side of a thicket of bushes._

_Inuyasha growled low in his throat, running faster than he ever had. He leapt over the bushes and stopped abruptly at what lay before him. He tightened his grip on Kagome's legs, lurching forward at the sight._

_Kagome, unable to see over his shoulder, slid off of his back and stepped around him. "What's..." She stopped and closed her eyes, willing her dinner to stay down at the sight of the boy's limp body on the ground._

_The rest of the group gathered behind the two, Shippo wrapped up in the monk's arms and the demon exterminator at his side. Miroku peered over Inuyasha's shoulder and caught a glimpse of Kohaku's flaccid body before Sango got the chance. His heart lodged itself in his throat. He pulled her into a hug and held her tightly, forgetting about the kitsune in his arms._

_Shippo fell to the ground with a thump before running to Kagome and clinging to her leg._

_"What's the big idea, monk?" Sango made to raise her hand and give the man a good smack until she realized that he had no intention of groping her._

_Instead, he held her close to him, stroking her hair with one hand while the other rested lightly on her back. He leaned down and planted a kiss on his beloved's head. Sango stood frozen in place, utterly confused by his actions. She soon found herself melting into him, thoroughly enjoying his attention._

_"What is it? Let me see!" The young kitsune's voice echoed through the trees, breaking the young couple from their reverie._

_The inu-hanyou bent over and grabbed the baby demon's tail, lifting him eye-level, "Get lost, runt."_

_"But..."_

_"No..." Kagome spoke quietly, her eyes never leaving Kohaku. "Inuyasha's right. I don't want you to see this."_

_"Go wait over by that tree." Inuyasha ordered. The kitsune nodded and walked away, kicking at the loose stones._

_Sango tried to step out of the monk's embrace, but succeeded only in him tightening his hold on her. A whimper escaped unknowingly from her throat as she tried to push the man away from her. Her heart sank only to be replaced with the fear that something was wrong. She wiggled in his arms, trying to escape. She slipped out of his grasp only for him to grab onto her wrist and pull her back roughly against him. "No," He tried to hold his voice, but it quivered rebeliously._

_"Let me go!" She gave a tug and pulled herself from his arms and rushed forward to where her two friends stood frozen to the ground. She looked down at the mutilated body, and recognition slowly dawned on her. Her legs gave away, and she fell to the ground, slumped over in the small pool of Kohaku's red-black blood._

_Miroku stepped forward, and grabbed the young woman by the elbows, attempting to lift her from the ground. She yanked her arms away, crawling across to her brother's body._

_She felt the bile rise in her throat as she bent to pick her brother up and cradle him in her lap. His head hung loosely by a grisely piece of flesh and it lolled, threatening to snape off as his sister leaned forward to plant a kiss on his dried lips. The woman lifted her head towards the heaven and let out a single agonizing cry. No longer able to hold it down, she vomitted on herself as loud sobs rang out from her shaking frame. "Kohaku! Why?"_

_As if the kamis had heard her questioning fate, thunder rumbled angrily above her before the clouds broke open and a torrent of rain poured down, washing away the blood of her kin. Sango held him close to her for what felt like an eternity, rocking back and forth with her eyes closed. She let him go finally, and he slid off of her lap. "Get the jewel shard." She spoke quietly._

_Kagome shot Miroku a worried glance. "What?"_

_"You heard me. Take the jewel shard from his back." She locked eyes with Kagome, willing her to do as she asked._

_The miko swalled hard. "I... I can't."_

_The exterminator's eyes lit with an inner fire and she spoke in a dangerously low tone. "I said take the jewel shard, damnit."_

_Kagome nodded, stepping forward. She rolled the boy over, carefully and dug the shard from his back. She closed her eyes and clutched it in her hand._

_Silence filled the area as everyone waited with bated breath for Sango's next move. Finally it came, "I must return to my village and bury Kohaku among my people." She raised her head in determination._

_"I will come with you, Sango."_

_"No. I do not want you to come." She looked away from him._

_"Please, Sango-sama."_

_"No, bouzo."_

_"Sango, I only wish to..."_

_She looked up at him. "I said no! Don't you understand that I don't want you there?!"_

_Miroku took a step back, before staring at the ground._

_Sango picked up the boy's body. "Come Kilala. You all go find Kouga and get the remaining jewel shards." The fire-cat transformed and allowed her owner to climb onto it before it flew off._

* * *

"Yes, Inuyasha, we are all worried about her, but it is I, who love her." Miroku looked away, refusing to look his friend in the eye. "It has been three weeks and I fear that she may not be returning."

"Quit complaining, monk. You're not the only one afraid of never seeing someone again."

Miroku followed Inuyasha's glance to the young miko, who sat on the lip of the bone-eater's well, brushing out Shippo's hair. Her laugh filled the air as the young demon complained, using a string of colorful words he had no doubt learned from the hanyou. "Ah, so Lady Kagome has succeeded in stealing your heart. Not to worry, Inu-sama, she would not go far without you by her side. You have succeeded in stealing her heart as well. " He finished the last part bitterly.

"Feh," Inuyasha was too busy watching Kagome to even notice his friend's uncharacteristic tone. His heart began to flutter as Kagome met his eyes and smiled.

Miroku caught the exchange and sighed agin. He had had about enough of those two and their side-long stares at one another. They only made him miss Sango all the more. "I cannot sit here and wait for her to return."

"Then go look for her."

He was torn. What would he do if he found her? She had made it clear that she did not want him near her. She didn't want to be with him, the way his heart longed to be with her. He could not blame her, after all he was just a letcher. But couldn't she see that he would never grope another woman if he had the lovely Sango by his side?

He stood and began to walk. "Oi! Houshi-sama! Where are you going?"

Miroku ignored the call and continued to march. He needed time to meditate, time to mend his broken heart.

* * *

The houshi sank into the cool water, relaxing his tired muscles. It seemed like he had been walking all day, simply for the fact that he had. He had been determined not to dwell on one thought for too long, but his feet had taken him in the direction of Sango's village.

He cursed his feet, as he submerged himself in the water. He felt completely alone. More alone than he had been in his entire life, when he wandered from town to town 'sensing' dark clouds. Only now, no amount of female company could soothe him. There was only one woman whose company he wanted, and she had flat out refused it.

"Sango, my love..."

* * *

"Sango!" Shippo launched himself into the woman's arms, grinning. "I've missed you!"

Sango laughed, hugging him to her. "I missed you too. Where are the others?"

As an answer to her question, Inuyasha and Kagome stepped out from Kaede's hut. "Sango!" Kagome ran to her friend. "Are you alright?" She didn't wait for a reply before she threw her arms around the older girl.

"I'm fine." She let go of the other women. "Where's houshi-sama?"

The other three exchanged looks, "Well, you see..."

"He's gone." Shippo finished.

"Gone? When is he coming back?"

"Um, the thing is..." Kagome began, "We don't even know where he went."

Sango's eyes dropped to the ground. "Oh. How long has he been gone?"

"Over a week now."

"That's not like Miroku. I wonder if he is all right."

"The monk's fine. He went off to look for you I think." Inuyasha finally spoke up.

"You never told me that! I've been worried about him all this time and you didn't even think to mention it to me?! You... you... BAKA!"

"Feh," Inuyasha snorted as he crossed his arms over his chest.

* * *

The sun was lowering and ominous dark clouds filled the sky over head. He shivered, not from the weather, but from some ancient evil that made his blood run cold.

He clutched his staff as a fear enveloped him. Never had he been this terrified, not even when he had faced Naraku. Something evil was lurking nearby, and this time it was no get rich ploy.

He gazed out across the open plain. A cave in the rocky mountain wall seemed to be calling to him. It seemed to know him. It knew his secrets. It knew his soul, inside and out. It terrified him, and at the same time made him feel like there was nothing to be terrified about. He had to see whatever it was that was calling to him, even if it meant death.

He hoisted himself onto the rock and felt the evil, pouring out in intoxicating waves. It smelled of pain and death and suffering. He crawled into the cave, finding that the deeper he went, the less afraid he became. He followed the acrid smell of rotting flesh, knowing that whatever it was, the reak would lead him to it. It was dark, and although he couldn't see, he knew that the walls were splattered with blood. He could smell it and taste it, and it scared him but still he went on.

"Drop the staff, Houshi." A voice spoke. The language was unfamiliar to his ears, but Miroku understood every word.

"Only when I know that you cannot harm me."

It let out a low raspy laugh, "Harm you? I can barely move, let alone harm you!" It continued to laugh, almost maniacally. "Can you not smell it? My blood..."

Miroku paused. He was the rotting flesh smell. "Yes, I smell it."

He laughed again, only this time it was an eery omnicient laugh. "I was calling to you... could you feel it, houshi?" he spat the name out as though it had burned his tongue to meerly say it.

"Who are you?"

"Who am I? My name is not important. I have no time to waste on such formalities. Listen..."

"Go on."

"I was born long ago, in a land far from here. You see, I was once a puny human like yourself. But I was strong as well. That was why He chose me. And that is why I choose you."

"Nani?"

"It was some seven hundred years ago, and I was but a boy like yourself..."

"Seven hundred years? So you are youkai?"

He scoffed indignantly. "Youkai are beasts. I am no beast." A flash of light errupted and the candles along the wall lit, one by one until the cavern was filled with soft, glowing, yellow light.

Miroku gasped at the man before him. His skin glowed unearthly, ivory and flawless. His mouth, red with blood hung open to reveal two long sharp fangs. He was a magnificent creature. The creature caught the monk staring at his fangs, still coated with his last meal. "I do what I have to in order to stay alive. I drink blood from humans."

The monk looked at him in disgust.

"I know what you are thinking, for I thought the same when I first transformed. But for me to live, I must feed off of humans, the way you feed off small animals. I am no different. I do what I must to survive."

"How can you kill a human like that?" Miroku spit out.

The man looked at him, clearly amused. "It is quite easy, I assure you. You will soon find all of this out. You will hold off as long as you can, maybe trying to satisfy yourself with the blood of rabbits, and other animals. But you will soon find this won't clench your hunger and your instincts will kick in."

"My instincts?"

"Yes, my boy. Miroku, they call you, am I correct?" He didn't wait for an answer, already knowing that he was. "My kind are dying out quickly. Vampires we are called by some. I have chosen you to take my place. I don't have much time to explain anything to you, but as I said your basic instincts will help you recruit. Choose only the strong."

"I don't know what you want. I can do an exercism, just lay back..." He reached his hand out and the creature hissed at him.

"Do not patronize me! I called to you and you answered by coming here. It was destiny, for you to take my place, do not fight it. Do you not want to be immortal? I can give that to you."

"But..."

"I can give you a life with no pain. Your heart, it is in pain, no?"

The souto nodded.

"I can make all of it go away. You do want it to go away..."

His heart ached to scream no. To scream and run away as far as he could go. But he nodded instead.

The vampire grinned. He brought his wrist to his lips and bit down hard into his vein, drawing blood. "Drink my blood, and the world is yours, Kana."

Not knowing what else to do, Miroku brought his lips to the creature's wrist, and closed his eyes in ecstacy. He drank the sweet nectar until his lids became heavy and drifted shut.

The wrist fell limpy against the floor as Miroku leaned back against the cool, damp wall.

* * *

"Kagome-sama? Do you think Miroku left because of what I said to him?" Sango dipped herself into the water.

"I'm sure he knew that you needed to be alone." Kagome poured some shampoo into her hand and began to wash her hair.

"You don't think I sounded a little mean?"

"Well, now that you mention it..."

Sango sighed. "I knew it."

"Don't worry yourself over it, Sango."

"Wouldn't he come back by now?"

"You were gone far longer than he was. He probably needs to clear his head like you did. Things are different now. They're never going to be like they used to."

"Like you and Inuyasha?"

Kagome blushed and the two girls giggled. Kagome stopped and looked around. "Sit, boy!"

A blur of red came crashing down from the tree. "Ow," He twitched slightly and sat up, turning around after the spell had worn off.

"Hentai! You were watching us!"

"Feh, I wasn't watching you. I was just sitting in the tree to make sure no one else was watching you. Give me a break, I was just trying to protect you guys, and this is the thanks I get."

The girls finished washing themselves. "Don't peek."

"Feh, like I would want to."

"Okay, we're done."

The three walked back to Kaede's village in silence, each one worrying about Miroku.

* * *

Miroku woke as the last light faded from the sky. He stretched his hands over his head, his long nails scraping against the stone walls. He glanced around at his surroundings. He had no idea who he was or where he was. All that was left was a pile of ashes on the floor. He ran his tongue across his teeth, his fangs the fleshy organ. He sucked the blood away savoring its taste.

_'Drink my blood, and the world is yours, Kana.'_

Kana... yes it was familiar. His name, wasn't it? He sniffed about the air, smelling blood all around him. "Hungry, so hungry..." He spoke in a voice he could not recognize. But then again, there was nothing that he could recognize.

He stared down at his hand, wrapped in a purple cloth and prayer beads. He reached down to remove them, but stopped himself. They were important for some reason. He dropped his hand and looked about. The first thing he had to do, was take care of his hunger.

He crawled out of the cave, and looked about, no need for his eyes to adjust. He could see far across the plains. He jumped from rock to rock, until he was close enough to the ground. Kana took off at a fast pace, following his sense into the woods.

He soon found what he was looking for. A human girl stood in a lake, bathing herself. "So beautiful..." He whispered to himself. The vampire's eyes stared at the girl's neck, where he could see the blood pumping through her veins. He licked his lips hungrily before scolding himself.

_'You can't have human blood. No, it's wrong.'_ He turned and quickly left, before it was too late to stop himself. Then he saw it, a fawn, unaware of his presence. He hopped from tree branch to tree branch with such elegance that he felt he had done it his entire life. He looked down into his left hand and noticed the staff he had been holding onto. Perfect.

He raised it above the unsuspecting animal's head and brought it down in a fast hard motion. It collapsed onto the ground and Kana knelt before it, sinking his teeth into it's neck, and sucking it dry. He came up, breathing heavily. "Still so hungry..."

The wind changed and the scent of the bathing girl reached his nostrils. "I can smell her blood, so sweet..." He hissed at himself. _'No more tonight. You've had enough.'_ He left the deer's remains for the other animals who might want it.

He set about to wander, knowing he wouldn't be able to sleep again until the sun began to rise.

* * *

"Where are we going?" Kagome asked, climbing onto Inuyasha's back.

"To find Miroku."

She smiled into his neck, glad that he was finally doing something about their friend. "Sango! We're going to find Miroku!"

She ran out of Kaede's hut holding onto Kilala. "I'm coming with." Kilala transformed and the woman climbed onto the back before following after her friends.

* * *

Kana closed his eyes, hungry for human blood, but forbidding himself from indulging in it. He opened his eyes and stared down at the beads on his hand. What were they?

Why couldn't he remember anything? His name was Kana, he was sure of that. But how did he come to be here? How long had it been since he had last eaten? And most of all, why had he wanted to drink that young woman's blood?

* * *

"Down there!" Kagome pointed to a flash of golden light on the ground below. He hopped from the tree to the ground setting Kagome down.

Inuyasha picked the staff up. "Miroku's staff."

Kilala landed with a soft thump and Sango hopped off of her. "What did you find?" Her eyes caught the staff in his hand, and the pool of blood on the ground. She dropped to the ground, "Miroku..." Tears sprang to Kagome's eyes as she went to hug her friend. "This is all my fault."

"No, it's not. Don't say that!"

"It is. He never would have left if I hadn't been so mean." Sango cried into her friend's shoulder.

"He could still be alive, couldn't he?"

Inuyasha sighed. Not likely. There was too much blood, and an animal had carried the body away.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome looked up at him but he looked away quickly, unable to tell the crying girls that the monk was dead.

Sango wailed, knowing that Miroku was gone. "Kami! I never even told him that I loved him!"

Kagome rocked the girl back and forth, smoothing her hair in a motherly fashion.

* * *

Kana opened his eyes again. He smelled something. Something familiar. And salty. He knew that smell. Someone was crying. The wind changed and the smell was gone. He couldn't go see who was crying. It was too dangerous to go out in the daylight. He knew it, but didn't know why.

And the smell, why was it so familiar to him? Did he know the person crying? If he saw the person... would he be tempted to drink from her like he had the girl in the forest washing herself? His heart told him no.

Inuyasha poked the fire with a stick, glancing over at Sango's sleeping form. She had cried herself to sleep the moment they had returned to Kaede's village.

Kagome came to his side, dropping the Shikon no Tama into his lap. "Here." She spoke softly.

He grabbed it in his hand, realizing he didn't want it. "No..." He handed it back to Kagome. "Keep it so you can come visit us here."

"I can't take this Inuyasha. I have no need for it. You're the one who wanted it."

"Keep it until I decide what to do with it."

Kagome nodded, and leaned her head against his shoulder. "Inuyasha, do you want me to stay here? I mean, that is..."

Inuyasha looked over at her, not knowing what to say. He was never one to say what he felt. "I, uh, would you be happy here?"

"Yes, and no. I'd be happy here with Shippo, and Sango... and you..." She blushed and looked away. "But my family is back in my own time, and can't go back and forth between you both forever."

"Oh."

"No, I didn't mean it like that. I love you..." Realizing what she had said, she continued, "What I mean, is..."

Her words stopped as Inuyasha pressed his lips against her own. After a few moments, he pulled back, grinning. "I love you, too."

Kagome sighed. "What do we do then?"

Inuyasha voiced what had been going through his mind alot as of late. "I could come back with you to your time."

"I couldn't ask you to do that."

"Would it make you happy?"

She nodded.

"Then I'll do it for you."

* * *

Sango woke the next morning, to hushed voices speaking. "You're taking me with you?" Shippo's voice asked.

"Of course. Did you think I would leave you here?"

"And Inuyasha is coming too?"

"Mmmhmm."

Sango opened her eyes wide. Kagome was leaning over a pot, stirring it as Shippo sat on her shoulder.

"Kagome?"

"Oh, Sango! You're awake!"

She nodded and stared at the ground. She had heard the conversation exchanged between the demon and the young woman.

"I have something to ask you about. You don't have to answer right away. Think about it." Kagome scooped some of the stew from the pot into a bowl and handed it to her friend. "Iuyasha and Shippo are coming with me back to my time. And I want you to come with me."

Sango smiled. "Yes."

"I said you could think about it."

"What is there for me to think about? My family is dead, Miroku is dead, you're not leaving without me. You guys are all I have left."

* * *

Kagome pulled the Shikon no Tama on and sat on the lip of the well. Shippo was on her shoulder, and Kilala in her lap. She grabbed Inuyasha and Sango's hand and jumped into the bone-eater's well.

'Here's to a new life.' Sango thought as the air blew her hair up.

* * *

A/N: There's the prologue. Tell me if you want more.

Kana: Powerful one.


End file.
